Couple Fighting to Get Concealed Pistol Licenses Back

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STANTON, Mich., (April 23, 2014)– A couple from Montcalm County is fighting to get their concealed pistol licenses back after the gun board revoked them, saying they renounced their U.S. Citizenship.

But Randy and Shelly Esch say that’s not the case and they want answers. Randy Esch says he got a letter a few months back from the gun board saying that during his review his CPL was revoked; so was his wife’s.

Shelly says they are still living in the state, working in the state and paying their taxes.

They say they filed an Apostille, an act of state and reaffirmation of standing of what they say are their beliefs, but claim it was never their intent to not be U.S. citizens anymore.

“That’s not what we’re trying to say. We’re trying to say exactly what I told you, our belief in God. I accepted the Constitution as it was written and the Bill of Rights and that’s what this says,” said Randy.

What Esch says he meant by it and how the gun board interpreted it are two different things. We took the document to Heather Garretson, a professor at Cooley Law School.

“The document is unclear as to whether he attempted to fully and legally renounce. It is clear from the document, ‘void’ and ‘renounced’ and ‘fraudulent’ are mixed in with the state and Montcalm County and the United States,” she said. “I think that to legally renounce your U.S. citizenship it’s going to take more than this document,” Garretson said.

Esch says they never went through the multiple steps required to legally renounce.

Montcalm County Prosecutor Andrea Krause is one of three on the Gun Board and says the evidence they received signed and filed by the Eschs was enough for the board during review, that under the CPL statue they’re not eligible.

The Eschs can appeal but say they don’t want to spend more money on doing that when they feel the board is in the wrong.

5 comments

Robert

Another governing body punishing free thought and disagreeing with authority. To officially Relinquish or Renounce your citizenship you have to go through the US Consular Office. It requires either an approval from the State Department or the signing of an Oath of Renunciation (not a letter of disagreement nor a reaffirmation of beliefs). Either way the CPL Board has in effect revoked the Esch's citizenship without due process and without the authority of the State Department.